Top 5 video games of all time

There is no doubt that both offline and online gaming is a firm part of today’s entertainment industry – generating a whopping $1.1 billion (R16.5 billion) over 2020 and 2021. The global popularity of eSports has grown at such a rate that it has surpassed many “real life” sports.

The video game market is also one of the most competitive ones out there and amongst the millions of games that become available every year – only 3 have managed to sell more than a hundred million copies worldwide.  Below, Are the top 5 video games of all time.

Note: Obviously, this list does not include games such as “Fortnite” for example, because they’ve always been free to play.

The top 5 video game rankings based on copies sold:

1. Tetris (EA)

• Platform: Multi-platform
• Genre: Puzzle

Tetris has overtaken Minecraft as the top-selling video game of all time. The game was created in 1984 by a Russian software engineer named Alexey Pajitnov.

This simple, yet addictive game requires players to fit falling geometric blocks together which results in a score. The more blocks you manage to fit together, The higher the score. The game is a single-player game and is mostly played on mobile devices. Watch the Sony PSP Tetris (EA) trailer below:

2. Minecraft

• Platform: Multi-platform
• Genre: Sandbox Survival

Released in 2011, Minecraft has proved that having modern-day, realistic graphics is not what makes a game incredibly successful. It was created by a Swedish company called Mojang – which is now owned by Microsoft.

Aside from the game’s outdated graphics, what makes this game stand out is that there are no levels or objectives to complete. Players just openly build their own worlds in a single-player or multi-player mode while staying clear of or fighting off a variety of creatures. Watch the official Minecraft trailer below:

3. Grand Theft Auto V

• Platform: Multi-platform
• Genre: Action-Adventure

Developed by Rockstar, GTA V joins Tetris and Minecraft as being the only video games to break a hundred million copies sold worldwide.

The game is an open-world, action-adventure that has a single-player and multi-player mode. As a single player, you can choose to be one of 3 characters who have unique storylines, attributes and missions to complete.

In multi-player, you can play with your friends, freely customise your character, and spend your time doing an endless number of activities – including missions, playing tennis, stealing cars, and flying jets to name a few. Watch the official GTA V trailer below:

4. Wii Sports

• Platform: Nintendo Wii
• Genre: Action-Adventure

The Japanese company Nintendo in the early 2000s faced a lot of competition from other companies such as Sony and Microsoft – and so they had to come up with an innovative gaming concept. In 2006, they did just that. Nintendo released a new gaming console called the Nintendo Wii – which relied on the 3-dimensional movement of the players to interact with the mechanics of the game.

Wii Sports was the original game that came with the console, and it provided active games that were endlessly fun to play. The console is single and multi-player and the playable games included tennis, bowling, boxing and much more. This quickly gained popularity as it attracted players of all ages. Watch the original Wii sports trailer below:

5. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)

• Platform: multi-platform
• Genre: Battle Royale

Only released in 2017, PUBG completes the top 5 with around 75 million copies sold worldwide. The game was developed by the South Korean PUBG Corporation. This game is your typical action-packed battle royale – which is playable only in multi-player mode.

Online players compete in an open-world setting which gets smaller over time until there is nowhere to hide. You spend your time searching for weapons, consumables and attachments whilst eliminating other players. The last man standing is the winner. Watch the latest PUBG trailer below:

Read: The future of eSports in South Africa